Andrea Illy, ethics and sustainability: Ernesto's legacy

"Ethics in the world of business and social and environmental sustainability," articulated primarily through "knowledge and complexity." This is the legacy of scientist and industrialist Ernesto Illy, as recalled today by Andrea Illy, one of his four sons, head of the eponymous coffee company, on the centennial of his founder's birth. The anniversary is being celebrated with an event at the Generali Convention Center, organized by the Ernesto Illy Foundation, which recalls the history of the factory and its spirit, begun in Trieste decades ago by the family of Hungarian origin. "It's a way of taking stock," said Andrea Illy. "When he passed away, he left a full legacy, contrary to what people say when people pass away, which leaves a void. I try to interpret his thinking, bringing forward three clear ideas: knowledge, complexity, and ethics." This is a goal pursued by the Ernesto Illy Foundation, which intends to "continue to produce knowledge."

With an "implicit and perhaps transcendental" fixed idea: the rejection of Homo sapiens as a predator in favor of a "mutualistic model, of man co-evolving with nature." Furthermore, the environment must be respected through "circular regenerative development, which uses far fewer resources and is proactive in regenerating the environment, both of cultivated land and the surrounding nature reserve areas." We must "create an economic model that," concluded Andrea Illy, "rather than consuming natural capital, regenerates it as the economy grows."